


Something Like Grace

by peacefulboo



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Dogs, F/M, Flash Fic, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 15:09:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17490245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacefulboo/pseuds/peacefulboo
Summary: He's seen her from time to time but they don't ever talk.





	Something Like Grace

**Author's Note:**

> Some of us have been a little bummed by how...dour the tag has been lately, which is fine. I just figured if I want to read some joyous stuff, I should probably contribute. This is flashfic, so while I did reread it, it has not been beta'd. Also, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've written a proper AU for this pairing. Weird. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

He’s noticed her a few times over the last few weeks, the woman who moved into the apartment next door. She seems to be in her mid-twenties and is always polite and has a ready, if practiced smile and a quick word of greeting as they pass each other on the stoop or at the mailbox. He senses that she’s careful and guarded and uninterested in getting closer to her neighbors, so he leaves her alone and goes about his life. 

So he’s surprised to see her sitting with her back against her closed door, when he climbs up the last step that leads to their landing, his dog Jack a few steps ahead. Her head pressed against her knees like she’s trying to catch a nap or shut out the world. There’s something defeated in the line of her back that prompts him to ask, “You okay?” 

Her head comes slowly up and he can see from the bags under eyes, and the ghostly pallor of her skin, that she’s definitely had better days. It’s just after midnight, and he’s returning from taking his dog out a final time before bed and honestly nothing good can come from a woman sitting outside her door with that look on her face. 

“My key broke in the lock,” she tells him. Her eyes are a little dead and her voice is rough and he wonders if she’s been crying or maybe doing everything she can not to cry. 

“Give me a second and I’ll get you some needle-nose pliers and we’ll see if we can get the piece out,” he tells her, saying the first thing that comes to mind. 

“Thank you, but I’m not entirely sure what good that will do?” she says. 

He thinks about it and realizes that even if they can get the broken off piece of key out of the lock, it’s a deadbolt and she has a broken key. Picking the lock would be impossible. “Right,” he says. 

“Right,” she replies with a sigh. 

“Does anyone have your spare key?” he asks. 

“My brother, but he’s out of town, and he lives 45 minutes away by car anyway. I left a message for the super, but I don’t have any faith that he’ll be much help this late on a Saturday night.” She presses her face against her knees again and he knows he can’t just leave her sitting here on her doorstep. 

“Okay,” he says. “Do you have a friend you can call? Somewhere that you’d be comfortable staying tonight until you can get to your brothers’ or till a locksmith can come out?”

“I...I don’t,” she says. “I would just take a taxi to Kevin’s but I don’t get paid until Monday so that’s out, too.” She scoffs then and it sounds so frustrated and weary and honestly all Scott wants to do is wrap her up in some blankets, give her something warm to eat and a place to sleep. So he goes ahead and offers. 

“Tell you what,” he starts as he opens his door and lets his dog go on in ahead. “I have an open couch, extra blankets, and a whole gallon of my sister-in-law’s tortellini soup. You can text a friend or your brother and let them know where you are, in fact I recommend it, but it’s late and...” he trails off. “You can also pet my dog. He’s super good for relieving stress.”

His neighbor looks up at him with a wary expression but after a beat she closes her eyes and nods. She stands gracefully, and it’s then he notes that under her thick cardigan and warm boots, she’s wearing dance clothes. The temperature has dropped significantly in the last few hours and there is no heating in the hallways. She has to be cold. He watches as she gathers her bags and pads silently over to his door. 

She steps in, pulls off her boots, setting them by the door and then looks around. He can’t help but rub the back of his neck in nervous anticipation as she evaluates the space. Scott’s a tidy guy, has been for the last few years, so at least there’s that. Still his place is small, and a little cluttered, but at least there’s a separate, tiny bedroom and full bathroom, though it too is very little. He’s lucky that he found a place with a kitchen that has a full gas range, though the refrigerator is small and the counterspace leaves a lot to be desired. 

She stands in the middle of small living room and looks around. She moves with such grace and gentleness that he’s momentarily distracted as he stares at her for a second. But then she turns to look at him and he’s startled from his revery. 

“Do you need anything?” he asks. “I’m gonna heat up some of the soup if you want to use the washroom. Do you have clothes to change into?”

“Oh,” she breathes out as she looks down at her dance clothes. “I usually just shower and change at home since the studio is so close.”

“Feel free to use the shower if you want. It’s clean and there’s soap and towels in there. The towel on the rack closest to the door is fresh and there are wash rags in the drawer.” He doesn’t have the nicest things but it should do in a pinch. 

She looks at him again, her head tilted and her brow furrowed like she’s trying to figure him out. 

“Did you text your brother, or your friend to let them know where you are?” he asks. He isn’t sure why he’s insisting on her doing so, but he just wants her to be comfortable and know he wishes her no ill. 

“I’ll do that now,” she says as she pulls her phone out of the pocket of her sweater. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asks as she cocks her head back toward the bathroom. 

“I don’t mind at all. Take your time. Jack and I, and the soup, will be here whenever you’re ready.”

She stares at him for another few moments, the exhaustion from earlier seems to have lifted some and there’s a piercing quality to her gaze now that Scott feels in his gut. He does his best to keep his posture relaxed, his eyes kind and open. She must accept whatever she finds there because she nods again, and then turns toward the bathroom, her bags in hand. Scott stands there staring after her until he hears the whine of the old pipes.

He turns and sets about heating up two portions of the soup on the stove top, and warming some of the crusty bread he’d bought earlier in the day and setting out a crock of butter. By the time everything has been warmed through, the shower is off and the woman comes back into the living room, now in leggings, thick woolen socks, and her cardigan pulled tightly around her. Her hair is still up in the messy bun, which explains why the shower was so quick. Probably for the best since he doesn’t have conditioner. 

Jack wanders up to her and gently nudges her leg with his snout and she automatically crouches down to pet him behind his ears. The dog is loving it as he nuzzles against her hand and rubs his face against her leg. 

“What’s his name?” she asks without looking up. 

“Jack,” he answers. Jack is a medium-sized, black shelter rescue with long silky hair and the face of a Lab. He’s not very big but he does well both in the apartment and on his leash. He’s a curious dog, but not enough to get into trouble, though he does love to splash through the fountain at the park during the summer, so Scott figures there must be some water dog in him. 

“That’s a good name,” she answers as she start’s petting him down his flank. She’s smiling now, soft and sweet and Scott can’t help but find himself fascinated with her expressions. Her countenance is open and relaxed with the dog in a way he hasn’t seen her before. It’s nice. “And what’s your name,” she asks as she looks up from the dog and back at him. She stands up straight then, still graceful but with her face is back to being guarded as she moves into the opening of the kitchen and leans her hip against the low counter top. 

“Wow, yeah. That’s important information for you to have,” he answers, embarrassed that he hasn’t introduced himself yet. “I’m Scott Moir,” he supplies as he holds out his hand out of habit. 

She only takes a second to look at his hand before shaking it quickly and saying, “I’m Tessa.”

“Nice to meet you, Tessa,” he says. He likes the name and finds it suits her. “You up for food,” he asks, pointing toward the soup.

“If it’s no trouble,” she answers quietly. “I didn’t get a chance to eat before my classes.”

“Of course,” he says waving a hand in dismissal. He goes ahead and ladles out two bowls of the soup, now steaming hot, and takes the plate of the freshly cut bread over to his small table. 

They eat in silence and while it’s a little awkward, Scott is just glad that she’s looking a little less pale after the warm shower and food. Once the food is gone, she carries her dishes over to sink and starts to wash them out. She reaches for his as well and he hesitates to give it to her, but goes ahead after she stares him down for a second. While she washes the dishes he puts the soup and bread away. She finishes quickly, then wipes down the counters and lays the used dishwashing rag along the edge of the sink to dry. Once she’s done with that she looks up at him with a look that asks, “Now what?” and Scott kicks himself for not being the best host. 

“Are you tired, or would you rather watch something, or maybe read?” he asks. He doesn’t tend to go into work till afternoon and works till late, much like her, so he figures it probably takes her some time to wind down, but she looked so tired earlier that maybe she just wants to sleep. “Or if you’d rather, you can lay down. I watch everything on my laptop so I can head back to my room,” he says quickly. 

“It’s okay if you want to watch something out here, but I might just read,” she answers. She’s holding the cardigan closed around her and he realizes that she doesn’t have a shirt on underneath it. 

“Are you cold?” he asks? 

“Um,” she starts. “A little. I forgot to put my shirt in my bag when I changed it out and went into work in my sports bra today.” Her cheeks are a little pink as she says that. 

“I can lend you a shirt,” he offers quickly. The last thing he wants is for her to be uncomfortable, “I have t-shirts, and sweatshirts,” he says. They’ll be a big on her, but at least he’s not a big guy. 

“A sweatshirt would be great,” she answers with a relieved sigh and he smiles back at her. He heads back to his room and grabs a black crewneck sweatshirt from his closet, along with a few blankets and pillows. When he returns to the living room, Tessa is sitting on the couch with Jack sitting next to her with his head in her lap. The dog is in heaven. 

“He hopped up here as soon as I sat down. I hope that’s okay,” Tessa says sheepishly, though she doesn’t stop petting the dog. 

“He’s the most spoiled dog on the planet,” Scott says an affectionate smile coming easily to his lips. “I’ve never even tried to keep him off the furniture.” He reaches over and hands her the sweatshirt. She quickly slips out of her cardigan and pulls the sweatshirt on before pulling the cardigan back on over the top. She must be freezing. 

“He seems like a good dog,” she says softly. “How old is he?”

“A little over two years. I’ve had him for a little over half that time.”

“I had a dog growing up,” she says. “They’re pretty great.”

“He’s my first dog,” Scott says. “But I can’t imagine life without him now.”

She starts to open up a little then, telling him about her dog growing up and about a cat she had, too. But then she starts to yawn and her eyes start blinking slow and Scott takes it as his cue to retire to his room. 

“I should let you get to sleep,” he says. 

“Sorry,” she answers slowly. “I’m usually up much later than this, but today has been...” she trails off. He’s had days like that. “It was rough from the time woke up and I seriously thought I was going to cry at the thought of trying to get all the way over to my brother’s tonight. You made my night better, though. You and Jack,” she says as she continues to run her fingers through the dog’s fur. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t going to let you sleep on your doorstep, Tessa,” he tells her. 

“You could have, though,” she says. “Or you could have been a shitty person and expected something from me once I got comfortable,” she murmurs. 

“No,” he says with a shake of his head. “That’s not...”

“I know,” she answers quickly. “I get that now. You seemed kind and genuine, but thank you for not being an asshole,” she adds with a shrug. 

“That’s a low bar,” he says with a raised eyebrow. 

“And yet,” she says with a shrug. 

Yeah. There are a lot of assholes in the world. 

“Get some sleep,” he says. “We’ll call the super again in the morning.” He stands then and so does she. “Do you think that’s enough blankets?” he asks, “I might have another one in my closet.”

“This should be good,” she answers. 

“Okay,” he replies. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Tessa nods in acknowledgement and then cocks her head again like she’s still trying to make sense of him. Scott is about to turn and head to his bedroom when she takes a few steps toward him, stands on her tiptoes, and kisses him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Again.”

Scott squeezes her shoulder in response and then turns back to his room. 

***

They get her lock sorted the next day and then for a time they go back to passing each other on the stair well, or out on the front stoop, or in front of the bank of mailboxes. They smile at each other now, and call each other by name. They occasionally talk about the weather or work if they’re walking down or up the stairs together. 

It’s more than a month later when, at midnight again, Tess is unlocking her door as Scott comes up to their landing. 

“Hey Tessa,” he says when he sees her. Jack runs over to her immediately and she stops in her open doorway to squat next to the dog and give him some love. 

“Hi,” she murmurs, sounding exhausted again. 

“Long day?” he asks, sympathetic. 

“The longest,” she says as she looks up at him. 

“Have you eaten?” He has a frozen pizza he’s planning on heating up and there’s enough to share. 

“I have not,” she replies with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Pizza will be ready in thirty if you can stay awake that long,” he tells her with a wink. He wonders how often she goes to sleep hungry. 

“You sure?” she asks. 

“Of course,” he replies. “Bring Jack back with you, yeah?” he says as his door pops open. His dog isn’t even a little hesitant in following her into her apartment. 

“Yeah,” she replies. 

And after that they do this, too. Occasionally she’s the one with a bag of take out and he gets to see the inside of her apartment. The layout is the mirror image to his but the ambiance is vastly different. She has plants all over the place and paintings that he finds out were gifts from different friends that she’s met over the last four years. The plants and the paintings are the only color in her apartment, though. The furniture and the walls are stark white, but he imagine the light she gets in here is amazing in the morning. 

Soon Scott finds himself almost as comfortable in her apartment as she is in his. 

Still it’s strange when she knocks on his door on a Friday morning, before noon and smiles at him. “We should go walk Jack,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful day.”

It is a beautiful day, so he agrees. 

There’s a large park with a section for off leash dogs a few blocks up from their apartment building so they head that way. 

It takes Scott 45 minutes to realize that this is the first time they’ve hung out together outside of their apartments. He likes it. He enjoys watching as she moves, teasing Jack and laughing her deep, hearty laugh that he rarely gets to hear though it makes him smile and laugh along. He’s fascinated by the way the sun glints off her medium brown hair, finding all the different shades and highlights that he never sees in the dim light indoors. 

Tessa is wearing a cropped tank top and running tights that hit just below her knees and he’s fascinated by the way her taut muscles ripple and flex as she runs around with the dog. She’s so strong and gorgeous and he finds himself hoping he gets to see her dance someday. He has know doubt she’s magnificent. 

He’s always found her beautiful but in the light of day, when she’s this light and carefree, she almost knocks him off his feet. He’s shaken from his focus on her when she calls his name. 

“You okay?” she asks. She crinkles her nose and has the cutest smile on her face which he finds delightful. 

Fuck. No. He’s not okay. 

“Yeah. Sorry. Got distracted,” he says, before he takes the ball from her hand and chucks it as far as he can. They watch as Jack goes bounding after it. 

“You were staring at me,” she says. “Is something wrong?” 

“Oh, fuck. No, Tessa. Nothing’s wrong,” he starts. He looks at her again and has to swallow. “I just...you’re a very beautiful woman.”

He isn’t sure why he chooses to be honest, but his mouth moves before his brain can stop it and now it’s out there.

She ducks her head and tucks her hair behind her ear and seems to take a steadying breath before looking back up at him. “Thank you,” she says. 

“You’re welcome,” he replies. “Is that okay?”

“That you think I’m beautiful?” she asks, for clarification.

Jack drops the ball at Scott’s feet and then lets out a little whine so Scott stoops to pick up the ball and chucks it back across the yard again. “That I said it,” he says. 

“Considering that I’ve been wanting to kiss you for the last six weeks, I think I’m okay with it,” she tells him with a crooked smile and a shrug. 

Scott is pretty sure that he’s never been more blown away in his life. And he’s pretty sure that the smile on his face is dopey as fuck but he doesn’t care. Instead he holds his hand, palm up, between them, inviting her to take it if she wants. 

Her smile softens as she slots her fingers between his and Scott sighs at how right her hand feels in his. Like he can finally breathe deeply after too long underwater. 

“I would like to kiss you, too,” he says. 

“I’m obviously not opposed,” she says with a chuckle. 

Scott cups her face with his free hand and peers down into her lovely face. Her eyes are so expressive in this light and he gets distracted by the freckles that are scattered across the bridge of her nose. And then there’s her lips, so pink with just a hint of fullness. He goes slow, making sure she has the chance to back away if she changes her mind, but she doesn’t. As their lips touch at last, she sighs into his mouth and he finds he wants to breathe her in always. It’s not a particularly deep kiss, just lips pressing against each other for a few long seconds. Scott pulls back and looks at her and then captures her top lip between his. And then he can’t help but smile against her lips and she laughs as she pulls back. 

“We’re going to need to do that again without an audience,” she says as she pulls their joined hands up to her lips and sighs against them. 

Jack has gotten bored of them and has gone off to play with a cute dog that looks like some sort of collie mix. Tessa laughs when the dogs trip over each other in their enthusiasm and Scott can’t help but look at her in awe. This is probably his favorite thing that he’s discovered about her over the last few weeks. She laughs so easily and with her whole body. The sound of it sends warmth through his entire system and he’s pretty sure he’ll never get over how joyous it makes him feel.

Tessa puts her head on his shoulder as they watch the dogs play so Scott rests his head against hers. As they lean against each other, their breath coming easy and in sync, he can hardly believe he gets to be this close to her right now. 

He can’t help but look down at her and ask, “This is real, right?”

She looks up at him and stretches up to his him softly once again, “Yeah. It’s real.”

“Good,” he says and then adds, “Let’s go home.”


End file.
